Shattered and Scattered
by Dana1
Summary: Fourth fic in the Cracks in the Shield Series. Two and a half months can seem like a long time for a group of brothers who are no longer talking to each other. Will they ever fix what happened to their group, or are they meant to always be scattered and shattered? Last two chaps removed 6/26/15
1. Hell in a Cell

Title: Shattered and Scattered  
Author: Dana  
Rating: PG-13 to be safe  
Warnings: Violence, curse words, mention of some not so nice things possibly.  
Summary: Two and a half months can seem like a long time for a group of brothers who are no longer talking to each other. Will they ever fix what happened to their group, or are they meant to always be scattered and shattered?  
Time Frame: Starts about 2 and a half months after A Broken Shield ends.  
Required reading: This is the 4th fic in my Cracks in the Shield Series. The other fics are Believe in Evolution, Revenge of the Wyatts, and A Broken Shield.  
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone you recognize.

* * *

Roman Reigns entered American Airlines Center in Dallas Texas. It was the night of Hell in a Cell where he would be facing John Cena and Bray Wyatt for the WWE title in a Hell in a Cell match.

He walked over to where his cousins Jimmy and Jey USO stood watching something on a smart phone. "What's going on," he asked when he came up to them.

"Not much," Jimmy said, "we were just listening to Dean Do commentary."

Roman's eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about? Dean's not here doing commentary tonight."

"Not here. This is from last week's Ring of Honor show. It's good." Jey said.

Roman was really confused now. "How can it be last week's? He still works for the WWE."

This time it was his cousins who looked confused. "Roman," Jey said, "Dean hasn't been with the WWE for almost three months. Stephanie released him when she took over stating his ankle injuries wouldn't allow him to come back to the ring. She cut down the No Compete Clause to 30 days."

"Sorry man," Jimmy said, "I thought you knew."

Roman walked away. There seemed to be so much he didn't know lately. He hadn't had a real conversation with Dean Ambrose or spoken to Seth Rollins since they returned from Hawaii. The only bright side was that he knew Seth was no longer with the Wyatts. He just had no idea where he'd gone. How'd he miss the fact that Dean had been fired and in a completely different company? He supposed his ties to CM Punk and Sami Zayn got him into ROH.

He took out his cellphone and dialed Dean's number. He got a message that the phone was either disconnected or no longer in use. Dean had changed is number a while ago not never told Roman what the new number was. Roman hated the fact that both of his brothers had pretty much cut him out of their lives. He didn't know if Seth and Dean were still in contact with each other but he found that highly unlikely considering what had happened to the group. He wondered what happened in the psychiatric office in Hawaii. That was the last time the group had been together. There was so much he didn't know about the situation.

What he did know was Dean left Hawaii with Evolution but not by choice as Randy Orton had said. He pretty much hinted he wasn't in one piece when they got back. He didn't know because Dean refused to talk about it at all.

Seth had left Hawaii by himself after a session with Dr. Walden. Walden had sworn he had nothing to do with Evolution grabbing Dean from the bathroom and said that he had no idea that Seth had planned to back to the mainland. Roman had yet to talk to Seth at all. Seth was ignoring his voicemails.

He also knew he hated this whole situation.

* * *

Dean Ambrose sat in a sports bar with Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Hell in a Cell was playing in a TV but none of them were watching. All three had their WWE experience and were ready to move on.

Dean had gotten into Ring of Honor thanks to phone calls from different people suggesting they sign him as a commentator. He could only assume they were from CM Punk, Sami Zayn, and maybe Colt Cabana. ROH didn't say who called and he didn't ask. He was going by Jon Moxley again and he was having fun again. The last couple of months in WWE had been pretty much a nightmare. He got out with a broken arm and a career ending ankle injury thanks to his ankle being broken three times in a matter of only a couple of months.

"Who's wrestling," Kaz asked squinting up at a TV monitor.

"Hell if I know," Dean said taking a drink of his beer. "I don't watch it."

Dean had done everything he could to distance himself from WWE and was actually kind of glad when someone from Talent Relations had called him to wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. It was even better when he was told he had to only wait 30 days before going to another company.

"Can I get an autograph," a voice said from next to him. He turned to see a young smiling face in front of him with a piece of paper. He signed it before handing it to Daniels and Kaz.

The fan walked away happy.

"You do realize that you signed it Dean Ambrose right," Kaz asked.

He hadn't. He just signed it without thinking. He shrugged. "He's here to watch the PPV. He probably wouldn't have recognized the name Jon Moxley," he quickly covered up. He had been using the name Dean Ambrose for the last couple of years and it was still taking some getting used to being Jon Moxley again.

"As long as I don't sign it Curryman we'll be okay," Chris said looking up from texting his wife.

Dean took another drink of his beer and surveyed the crowd at the sports bar. There were several families there to watch the PPV. Summerslam and Night of Champions came and gone without him noticing. He would have never realized tonight was a WWE PPV if he hadn't gone there.

"Looks like your boy's got a title match," Chris said pointing at the TV where it was showing a recap of the feud between John Cena/Roman Reigns/Bray Wyatt. His face went a little pale when they started it with the feud between the Shield and the Wyatts. He turned his head away not wanting to see it. He didn't want to think about it. He stood up.

"I need some air," he said before walking away. He went outside and lit a cigarette hoping to calm down. He didn't want to think about anything that had to do with WWE especially the time starting right before Extreme Rules.

* * *

"Mr. Lopez," a voice called.

Seth Rollins turned around to face the nurse who was standing outside of the room with a tray of medication.

"Time for your medication," she said in a cheerful voice.

"Oh come on," Seth with an exaggerated sigh. "I'm being released tomorrow," he reminded her.

"Yes but only if Dr. Johnson signs it," She reminded him. "It's only something to help you sleep."

Seth took the pill and went back to his room. He sat down on his bed. He had been in the psychiatric wing of this hospital for over two months. Dr. Chabot had suggested he get help as an impatient so he wouldn't have to worry about Bray Wyatt coming to get him. The sessions with Dr. Johnson had helped and they had found the trigger and he was able to get through it. The doctor said he was ready to return to the real world. He was nervous about that. What if there was a trigger the doctor hadn't found? What if he went after Roman and Dean again?

The last few months had been tough. No one else but his family and Dr. Chabot knew where he was. He had been checked in under his real name and had washed out the blond streaks. No one had come up to him and asked, "aren't you Seth Rollins?"

He closed his eyes as he started to get sleepy. He hoped for another night without nightmares.

* * *

Notes: Hope you liked the first chapter. All three guys have baggage but will they be able to reunite? Stay tuned to find out!


	2. Photographs

Roman returned to his motel room later that night not in the best of moods. He had lost the Hell in a Cell match with Bray Wyatt retaining. He could no longer fool himself with the idea that Bray needed Rowan and Harper's help to retain the title.

When he had made his way backstage he found Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley standing there. He walked up to her. "Why did you fire Dean Ambrose," he demanded.

"It's been two months since he was fired and you are asking that now? Here I thought you didn't care that he was fired." Her face lit up. "You didn't know did you? I guess it is true. The Shield has crumbled. This is great. As for why, he's no use to us. He can't wrestle anymore and we don't need any more agents. We already have too many of those as is. From what I understand, he was glad to hear that he had been released from his contract. I'd fire Seth Rollins myself if I could figure out where he is. I guess you are the only member of the Shield who didn't run away when the pressure became too much."

Roman barely held back the urge to hit her. If she wasn't a woman he would have.

"Is there anything else you want to say Roman," she asked. "I have a meeting to go to." Roman shook his head and she walked away.

Roman was brought back to the present when he saw the red message light on his hotel phone. He listened to it. There was a message from the front desk saying that they had something for him at the front desk. He went downstairs. "Hello. My name is Joe Anoa'i. I had a message saying you had something for me?"

The woman nodded. She reached under the counter and pulled out a small box. "This was dropped off for you earlier."

"Thanks," Roman said before going back to his room. He opened the box. Inside he found a piece of paper. It was typed and read:

There's a rumor going around that he won't tell anyone what happened. Here are pictures for you to see what did.

It was unsigned.

Roman took the pictures and looked at them. His temper rose and he felt sick at the same time. He picked up his cellphone and dialed a number he knew was useless. He searched through his address book until found another number e was looking for. It rang a couple of times before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"I need Dean's new number and I know you have it."

"Roman," CM Punk asked, "Is that you?"

"Yes," Roman said barely keeping his temper in check. "Look I need Dean's new phone number and I know you have it."

"Look Roman," Punk said, "Dean asked me not to give out the number to anyone. I'll call him and let him know that you want to talk to him."

"Let him know I received pictures of what happened to him."

Punk was silent for a moment. "Is it as bad as I think it was?"

"Probably worse." Roman said throwing the pictures into the box.

"I'll pass along the message but I make no promises that he'll call you back."

"I understand." Roman said before hanging up. Next time he saw Evolution, he was going to kill them. He never realized how much he couldn't protect his brothers.

* * *

Dean had just walked into his apartment in Philadelphia when his cellphone started to ring. He looked down at the caller ID even though very few people knew his new phone number. It was Punk.

"Hello," he said.

"It's me. I just got off the phone with Roman Reigns and he wants you to call him. He said he received pictures of what happened to you and wants you to call him right away."

Dean almost dropped the keys in his hand. They took pictures? He hadn't wanted to tell anyone what happened and Roman was sent pictures of it? Well he was definitely not going to call Roman. Pity wasn't something he wanted or needed.

"Are you going to call him," Punk asked.

"No I don't want or need his pity. I'd appreciate it if you don't give him my phone number either. Look I'm tired and have a long day tomorrow. Bye," he said and hung up.

What was Stephanie up to? He wondered. Why couldn't she leave him alone?

* * *

The next morning Seth went into Dr. Johnson's office and took his normal spot on the couch. Dr. Johnson wasn't there yet, so Seth turned to stare out the window.

"Hello Colby," Dr. Johnson said five minutes later. "Sorry I'm late. I was talking to the hospital board and you'll be happy to know you've been discharged."

Seth didn't know how he felt about that. He was still scared. "Am I ready," he asked.

"Yes I believe you are. We've gone through every possible scenario and you've passed with flying colors. I wouldn't have gone to the board if I didn't think were ready. Colby I think you are ready to return to everything even wrestling though I think you might want to start small like with that place you were in before? Ring of Honor?"

"Yeah if they'll take me," Seth said. WWE had notified his parents that since he had gone AWOL, he was in breach of contract and had been fired. His parents said they'd get him a lawyer but he just didn't care about the WWE anymore. This way he could really be far away from Bray Wyatt.

"So when am I out of here?"

* * *

Notes: About the contradiction. Stephanie said she'd fire Seth herself. She's assuming Roman doesn't know about that either and technically she's right. They told Seth's parents that he was fired.


	3. Night Off

Roman received a text message Monday that read:

_Gave him the message he's not calling sorry._

Roman supposed he really shouldn't have been surprised Dean wasn't going to call him. Dean didn't want to talk to him at all for some reason though the pictures did explain Dean wanting to leave the WWE. He got out of his rental car and went into the arena. He was on a mission to find Evolution and/or the Authority. He was going to get revenge on Dean's behalf.

As soon as he entered the arena, Billy Kidman and Mike Rotunda approached him. "Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley wanted us to tell you that you aren't needed tonight," Kidman said.

"I bet she did," Roman said, "I want to talk to her. Where's her office?"

Billy and Mike exchanged looks knowing that this wasn't going to end well. "She asked that we make sure you leave the building," Mike said.

"Mike you don't want to mess with me tonight," Roman said turning his attention to the man who once wrestled as Irwin R. Scheister. "Your son Bray is responsible for most of this." He reminded him. "And your son Bo broke Dean's ankle the second time."

Mike looked away.

"So show me where his office is," Roman said pushing past them. It didn't take much searching to find the office. He opened the door and stepped inside.

Stephanie was sitting at her desk talking to someone on the phone. Her eyes went wide when she saw who came in. "I'll have to call you back," she said before hanging up the phone. "What are you doing in here?" She demanded.

"I know you were the one who left the pictures at my motel," he went closer to her desk.

"What pictures," Stephanie asked her eyes starting to blink.

"The ones showing what evolution did to Dean the three days they had him. I should take the pictures to the cops.

"Roman I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't send you any pictures! I also don't know what kind of pictures they would be of. I…" her voice trailed off as Roman put a picture on her desk. She picked it up and looked at it. Her face blanched momentarily before she handed the picture back to Roman. She didn't say anything.

"I want a match with Randy Orton."

"I gave you the night off so I can't do that. Actually all of Evolution has the night off tonight to get ready for the European tour. I thought you'd appreciate the extra day to spend with your daughter and fiancé."

"I'm already here Stephanie," he reminded her. "I'm not going to get home to Florida any sooner."

"Well I'm not giving you a match tonight. And if you don't leave the arena, I will fire you just like I fired Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins!" She was so angry at Roman's defiance she hadn't realized her mistake until it was too late.

"You fired Seth too? Did you have your guys do that to him?" He asked pointing at the picture.

"No. He was fired because I'm tired of wrestlers going AWOL. First CM Punk and now Seth Rollins. His parents said they don't know where Seth is. This is my company now and I will not let things keep going the way my father ran in! Now get out of the arena or you're fired."

Roman glared at her before leaving the office. When he stepped out he saw John Cena walking down the hall so he stopped him. They hadn't been exactly friends but they weren't enemies. "Hey John. Have you seen Orton?"

"No. I heard Evolution was all given the night off. She said the Authority decided to celebrate. Hey I heard you were given the night off as well."

"Yeah Stephanie said she gave me the day off so I could spend time with Joelle and Michelle before the European tour and then threatened to fire me if I didn't leave the building."

John shook his head. "Stephanie's up to something. I wasn't given the day off so it must be a plan for me."

"She'll probably have you face all three Wyatts blindfolded." He saw Stephanie talking to security so he walked out a side door. If Evolution wasn't there, he'd just have to find them himself.

* * *

Seth stepped onto an airplane for the first time since he left Hawaii. He was flying home to Davenport Iowa. He was trying to be inconspicuous in his reading glasses. He settled down in his aisle seat. The middle seat was empty and a business man was sitting in the window seat. He sat back and hoped the business man wasn't a talker. He did know of one way to shut him up. He could tell him where he had been the last couple of months. Thankfully for both of them the man wasn't a talker.

When he exited the plane in Iowa, he found his parents waiting for him. After hugs from both of them, they left the airport.

"What are your plans now," his father asked as he started the car.

"Don't know yet. I'm going to try to contact Cary Silkin at Ring of Honor. Stephanie said it was only a 30 day no compete clause right?"

'Yes," his mother answered. "I hope you go back to Ring of Honor," she said. "You were happy there."

"I was happy in WWE until the thing with Evolution started. Has, uh, Dean or Roman tried to contact me?"

"Roman calls at least once a week. As per your request, we didn't tell him anything. We haven't heard from Dean at all. Neither has Roman it sounds like."

They rode in silence until they arrived at Seth's apartment.

Mrs. Lopez got out of the car. "I filled your fridge with some food. Are you sure you don't want to stay with us?"

"I'll be fine mom," Seth said giving her a hug. He went into his house. His mother must have done some cleaning because it was cleaner than when he left it.

He wasn't hungry so he sat on his couch and searched for Cary Silkin's phone number.

The phone rang a couple of times before someone answered. "Hello?"

"Cary?"

"Yes. Who's this?"

"This is Seth Rollins," he said taking a deep breath. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about the possibility of coming back to Ring of Honor."

"I'd love to talk to you about that though I thought you were with the WWE."

"I was but I was fired and my 30 day no compete clause is over."

"Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley seems to be firing people lately." Cary said with a sigh.

"Yeah," Seth said though he wasn't sure what he was talking about."

"Seth," Cary said, "are you sure you are okay? I heard about what happened with the Wyatts."

"I'm okay. I got help for that."

"Why don't you come up for the TV tapings in Chicago Ridge," Cary said, "next week? We can talk about it then."

"Sounds good. I'll see you then."

They hung up. Seth sat back thinking things were going his way.


	4. Face to Face

Notes: This takes place about a week later.

* * *

Dean Ambrose went into the Field House in Chicago Ridge Illinois for the next Ring of Honor show. As soon as he was in the building, Cary Silkin approached him. "Dean can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure Dean said and followed him into a small room that he was using as an office.

"Have a seat," he did. "I just wanted to let you know we are thinking about bringing someone back to Ring of Honor and I thought you should know before I do. This will affect you more than anyone else."

Dean had a feeling it wasn't Punk. "Who is it?"

The door opened and in walked Seth Rollins. "Sorry to interrupt. Someone said you were in here…" his voice trailed off when he saw who else was in the room. "I, uh, can come back."

"It's okay Seth," Cary said. "I was just going to talk to Dean about it. Why don't you wait outside and we'll talk after."

Seth left the room.

"Sorry I wanted to talk to you before he arrived. It seems Seth was also fired from WWE and was hoping to come back to ROH. I've heard about what happened with your group, or perhaps the rumors would be the right word. I want to know how you'd feel about Seth coming back."

Dean sat back and thought about it. Part of him was worried this was some plot but Stephanie fired Seth so maybe Seth wasn't with the Wyatt's anymore. He rubbed at his shoulder as he thought more about it. He didn't have an answer for Cary at the moment. "I don't know," he said truthfully.

Cary nodded his understanding. "I'm going to talk to Seth and see how things are. I can ask if he minds you being here when I do."

"Okay."

Cary left the room and came back with Seth. Cary sat at a desk and Seth sat in the other chair in the room. He didn't look at Dean as he did.

"Seth I would love to have you back in ROH," Cary started, "but since Dean is also here, I'm concerned about there being a big fight between the two of you."

"My problems with the Wyatts are past me. I got help and I don't think Bray's going to come here at least I hope he won't be." He added quickly. "I can handle it." He finally turned to look at Dean. "I really am sorry for what happened to you and Roman and for anything I did."

Dean fidgeted with the drawstring on his hoody. "I don't care either way if Seth comes back to ROH," he finally said. "I'm sure it'll be great for the company." He stood up. "I need to get ready for tonight." He said before leaving the office. Seth grimaced at the noticeable limp.

Seth turned to Cary who simply said, "when can you start?"

* * *

"Dean," Seth called as he left the office. Dean stopped, turned around, and faced him. "How are you doing?" He asked.

"Okay."

"Have you talked to Roman?"

"Nope."

"Is Roman still with the WWE?"

"Yep."

"Am I only going to get one word answers?"

"Yep." Dean said before walking away.

Seth was left standing there at a loss for what to do. Seeing Dean was the last thing he expected when he entered the building earlier. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. Dean didn't exactly look happy to see him. It wouldn't be easy to repair their friendship. If dean was bitter about it he couldn't blame him. He wasn't exactly happy about it either.

* * *

Roman left the building where the house show had been held in London England. It had been a good show as he had been able to get his hands on Cesaro. Randy Orton and Dave Batista were not on the show because their parole officer wouldn't sign off on it. Or at least that's what Stephanie had said. He thought she was up to something and worried about Dean and Seth's safety.

He stopped and signed autographs with a forced smile on his face. He was tired due to jet lag and just wanted to go to his hotel to sleep. He had just signed his last autograph when a question stopped him in mid signature.

"How do you feel about Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose both being in Ring of Honor?" A man asked.

Roman looked up at him. "I didn't know they were."

"It's all over the internet that Seth Rollins was spotted at the Ring of Honor show yesterday."

"Thanks for letting me know," he said before walking over to where Jimmy, Jae, and Naomi were waiting for him. "Did you know Seth signed with Ring of Honor?" He asked.

"No," Jimmy said, "that's good right? Maybe Dean and Seth are talking." He knew Roman was upset about not being able to talk to Dean and had seen the pictures. He wanted to get his hands on Evolution himself.

They all got into the rental car.

Roman took his phone out and sent a text to Seth. It read: _Hey just heard you are with ROH_

A few minutes later he received a response.

_Yeah just resigned. So you're still with WWE?_

Roman replied. _Yep. For some reason Stephanie kept me. Do you have Dean's new cellphone number?_

_Didn't know he had a new one. Dean's not talking to me. He's still mad._

Roman frowned. He was hoping to get the phone number. He replied: _He's not talking to me either._

_I've gotta go._

Roman closed his phone as he sat back in the car. He hoped one day he could sit down with his best friends but it kept seeming less and less likely as time went on.


	5. Plotting

Stephanie was furious. The European tour had gone better than she could have hoped but the Roman Reigns problem was still there. She had gotten rid of Ambrose and Rollins but Reigns wasn't easy to get rid of. She knew the only thing left she could do was get Roman to quit on his own and she knew she could do it. She picked up her phone and called one of her 'assistants'. "Hello? It's Stephanie. What do you know about the status of the Shield?"

* * *

Roman walked into RAW in an okay mood for once. He and Seth had exchanged texts a couple of times but neither were successful in getting Dean to talk to them. Roman wondered how Dean managed that while in the same company as Seth.

Roman wasn't one bit surprised when Jamie Noble and Billy Kidman approached him. "What now?" He asked.

Jamie grinned but Billy was the one who spoke. "Stephanie wanted us to let you know you have a match with Batista tonight in a Beat the Clock match to see who will face Bray Wyatt at Survivor Series."

"What's the catch?" There was no way Stephanie would give him town things he wanted without a match.

"None that we heard of," Jamie said, "except you have to have a faster time against Batista."

Roman walked to his locker room and started to change. Corey Graves, who had recently been called up, was also in the locker room. He hadn't spoken to Corey since Seth sent him to Chicago a couple of months ago.

"So I heard that Seth and Dean ditched you again," Corey said as he laced up his boots. Just like they did to me in Florida."

"Look Seth wasn't thinking straight," Roman reminded him. "Dean had to be the voice of reason and they both were fired from WWE so they didn't ditch me."

"Whatever you say man," Corey said not believing what he said. "You knew it was bound to happen."

"What was bound to happen?" He asked.

"That they were going to ditch you Roman. It's why Triple H wanted Ambrose and not you. He's a better wrestler. Obviously he already had other plans for Seth. Now they are in ROH probably not even thinking about you."

Roman didn't try to pretend to hide how much that hurt. He knew Corey was just trying to get to him but no matter how much he wanted to deny it, he knew it was true. He just pushed past Corey and left the locker room.

* * *

Seth walked into the sports bar in Philadelphia. He knew it was a popular hang out with the wrestlers of ROH. He had just returned from a tour with ROH and wanted to relax. He took a look around the room and spotted Kaz sitting at a table with his wife Tracy. He was the only person he saw from ROH so he walked up to them.

"Can I join you," he asked.

"Sure," Tracy said moving over. "Jon's not coming right?" She asked Kaz.

"No," Kaz answered. "He said he had to catch a flight to Florida for an appointment today with Dr. Andrews."

Seth knew they were talking about Dean.

"How's his ankle," Tracy asked.

"Still bothers him if he does a lot of walking," Kaz said his eyes landing on Seth for a brief second before continuing. "He's worried he'll need another surgery and he absolutely doesn't want another surgery."

Seth fidgeted with his watch band. It was weird to hear someone else talk about Dean's worries and stubbornness. It made him realize he may have lost one of his best friends forever.

* * *

Dean walked into his hotel not one bit happy with what Dr. Andrews had said. The screws in his ankle were becoming a problem and Dr. Andrews wanted to perform another surgery right away to fix it. Dean told him he would get back to him.

His phone started to ring. He looked down and saw it was Joey Mercury. Joey was the only person in WWE, other than probably AJ, who had his new cellphone number and that was only after Joey swore not to give it out to anyone.

"Hey Joey," he said.

Click

Dean looked down at his phone. That was weird. Why would Joey call and then hang up? He hit redial it rang a few times but no one answered. He shrugged and put the phone down. He didn't think anything of it.


	6. All Out

Notes: This fic most likely won't be updated again before 10/26.

* * *

Joey Mercury returned to NXT after realizing he had forgotten his cellphone though he was sure he had put it in his jacket pocket. He unlocked the door to the Performance Center and locked it behind him before heading to his office. He turned on his light and found his phone lying in the middle of his desk. He turned it on and he saw there was a missed call from someone only labeled as DeMox who he called. It rang a few times before it was answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi Dean it's me. Sorry I missed your call. I left my cellphone in my office."

"You called me and then hung up." There was silence for a moment. "Someone used your phone to call me!"

"Why would someone take my phone to call you? I didn't have your name listed in my address book."

"Doesn't matter," Dean said. "I'm changing my number and not giving you the new one!"

"I'll just get it from Punk," Joey said and could almost feel Dean's glare through the phone. "What exactly would they do with your phone anyway?"

"I don't know," Dean admitted, "but I'm not taking any chances. You have no idea what they are capable of," he said before disconnecting.

Joey hung up wondering who had taken his phone and how they had gotten into his office. Was Dean in the right for being paranoid? Was he even being paranoid? He really hoped the answer to both of those questions was no.

* * *

Roman arrived at RAW ready for anything Stephanie threw at him. He had received a text from Seth saying that Dean might need another ankle surgery but that was something he had heard from someone else. Dean was refusing to talk to Seth as well.

He was pleased to see that Billy Kidman and Jamie Noble were not waiting for him this time. This didn't necessarily mean that Stephanie didn't have something planned for him.

He walked to his locker room and put his bag down. He was about to get dressed for the show when a Production Assistant came up to him and handed him an envelope before walking away.

Roman opened the envelope and found two pictures inside. The first was a picture of Seth with the Wyatts. The second was a picture of Dean with the previous Evolution group. There was a typed note read: Just remember. You can't protect them if you aren't there.

Roman crumpled up the note. This was Stephanie's newest strategy. She kept trying to remind him that he was supposed to be the protector of the Shield and he failed to protect Dean from the attacks and kidnapping and failed to protect Seth from being brainwashed by Bray Wyatt. As if he needed someone else to remind him of how much he had failed his brothers. He got ready for the show.

* * *

_Would you just talk to them?_

Dean stared at the text a week later. No he would not talk to them. He had been lucky enough to avoid having a conversation with Seth. He made a mental note not to give Punk or AJ his cellphone number either.

_No. _He responded.

_But Dean and Roman need to talk to you._

Dean sighed. He could almost hear AJ's whine in her text. Punk didn't care if he ever contacted Roman or Seth again but his wife evidently did. Punk understood his need to distance himself from the WWE better than anyone. After all, he had quit the night after the 2014 Royal Rumble. Dean sent one more text before he turned his phone off.

_No._

He got up and limped over to his refrigerator and opened the door to the freezer and filled a Ziploc bag full of ice. His ankle was really bothering him today. He wished he could say it was mental from the fear of needing another surgery but knew it wasn't.

There was a knock on the door and he wondered who could possibly be at his door. He limped over and looked through the peephole and looked through it before opening the door. He was not happy when he opened his front door and found Seth and Roman standing on the other side of it. His first instinct was to close the door in their faces but he hesitated.

"Can we come in," Roman asked, "we need to talk to you. It's something you should hear from us."

Dean looked over at Seth who had a worried look on his face. It was the same look he had on his face at the Performance Center before he carried him out of the building. He let them in.

"You might want to sit down." Roman suggested. Dean, always one to do the opposite of what he's told, chose to stand. "I got a call from our lawyer that said Triple H has been released from prison."

Dean sat down in a chair. "How is that even possible?" He could understand the Wyatts being released from prison and even Orton and Batista but the evidence had been solid and even Triple H's overpaid lawyers couldn't save him.

"Overcrowding in the prisons," Seth said. "Somehow the parole board decided Hunter wasn't a danger to society."

"They obviously didn't ask anyone in WWE," Dean said his hand going to rub his ankle. "I guess the only one of us in trouble is you Roman. Stephanie got rid of Seth and me."

Roman gave him a look. "Remember what Hunter was yelling when they dragged him away? He said he'd get us for this."

"I thought that was the point of having his stooges destroy my ankle and brainwashing Seth. I mean other than Stephanie taunting you every week. You seem fine Roman."

Roman glared at him. This wasn't exactly how he pictured his first real conversation in months with Dean going. "You think I'm fine in WWE," Roman demanded his voice dropping low. "Corey Graves has decided to go after me for what Seth pulled in Florida. Stephanie is determined to make me quit. I can't trust anyone in the locker room and this is the first conversation I've had with you in months."

Dean didn't say anything.

Seth finally spoke up. "Calm down Roman. Dean and I both know you haven't had an easy time in WWE." He turned to face Dean. "We need to stay united for when Hunter strikes. I know you are angry for everything that's happened, but it wasn't Roman or my faults."

"Dean I know some of what Evolution did and I wish I could have stopped them."

Dean didn't say anything. It appeared the window of conversation had slammed shut. The Shield was no longer united and that worried Roman.


	7. Reunion

Two weeks later Dean entered the sports bar and found it mostly deserted which was something he had been hoping for. He did not want to see Seth. Every time he saw Seth, the younger man tried to start a conversation but Dean refused to talk to him. He ordered his usual beer and sat down at a table in front of one of the wide screen TVs that was showing a Philadelphia Flyers game. He tried his hardest to ignore the hockey game. He still couldn't stand hockey after that one night.

An hour later Seth showed up and walked directly over to Dean and sat down. Dean immediately stood up.

"Dean I don't know why you won't talk to me," Seth said.

Dean just looked at Seth and shook his head. "I have nothing to say to you Seth," he started to walk away and Seth followed him.

"We need to talk about Hunter," Seth said as they walked out of the sports bar. "Roman is saying no one's heard or seen Hunter since he was released from prison."

"Would they tell him if they did," Dean asked spinning around to face him. They both knew the answer to that question.

"Probably not," Seth said. "Shit! Look out!" Seth yelled shoving him hard. Dean went down hitting his head on a table on the way down.

* * *

Dean woke up with a groan his head was throbbing but he didn't know why. He tried to sit up and got woozy and lay back down. What happened? He wondered. Last thing he remembered he had been trying to get away from Seth who was trying to have another conversation with him. He didn't know why Seth and Roman kept trying to pressure him into talking. He didn't want to talk to them. Why couldn't they understand that?

"Dean?" A voice asked from somewhere behind him.

"Seth?" He asked. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Seth said. "I remember seeing Orton and Heyman but I don't remember anything else."

Dean felt a shiver go down his spine when he heard those names. He didn't remember seeing them but Seth must have. It all came back to him. He remembered Seth pushing him away…he had hit his head on the table and that was it. Now he knew why Seth had pushed him.

Dean tried to sit up again and then tried to stand up and let out a yelp as he put pressure on his ankle. He felt down and realized it was swollen. Looks like he'd probably be talking to Dr. Andrews again after all he thought. It wasn't broken but this couldn't be good.

"Have you seen them yet?" Dean asked as he sat down on the ground again. Seth reached out and started feeling his ankle.

"Not yet. I woke up not long before you did. That's your bad ankle right? Damn."

"Yeah," Dean said with a sigh. "At least it's not broken." He stopped talking as it felt weird to be talking to Seth again but at the moment it looked like he had no choice. "Is Roman here?"

"No not that I know of anyway. Roman went back on the road with WWE."

The overhead lights turned on and Dean shut his eyes to block out the light.

"Good you're awake," Hunter's voice boomed as he walked down the stairs. He was followed by Heyman and Cesaro. As far as Dean could see, Orton and Batista weren't with them.

Seth tensed as someone started humming and soon Bray Wyatt came down the stairs. Seth put his hands over his ears not wanting to hear it. He was still scared that he wasn't past the triggers that Bray had put in his head.

Hunter smirked as he came closer. Dean Struggled to a standing position and took a wild swing at Hunter who just kicked him in his ankle and he went down hard clutching at his ankle. Seth got up next and threw a punch. He and Hunter started fighting until Cesaro was able to pull Seth off of Hunter

"Looks like you broke free," Bray said reaching a hand out to Seth. "I can fix that."

Hunter looked down at Dean and said, "You can do what you want with Seth but Dean's ours."


	8. Trapped

Notes: I apologize for the delay in this fic. I was in Europe for 2 weeks and just changed programs at work so I've been busy training.

* * *

"Dean talk to me," Seth said as soon as they were alone.

He got no answer.

"Tell me what's going on in your head."

Dean chuckled. "You really want to know?"

Well that's progress, Seth thought. "Yeah. I know you cut Roman and I out of your life after Hawaii and I want to know why."

There was silence for a long moment before Dean answered. "I know Roman showed you the pictures so you know what they did."

"That's why…"

"No," Dean cut him off abruptly. "You have no idea what they've done since…" he stopped almost as if he didn't want to finish what he was about to say. "Let's just drop it Seth. You knowing what they didn't isn't going to make any of this better."

"Dean…"

He stopped as the door started to open and Hunter's voice came could be heard. "Dave go bring me Ambrose."

Dean's body tensed afraid of what Hunter may have planned for him.

Seth stood up. No one had thought of tying him up and he was going to show them why that was a bad idea. "I'll stop them."

Batista came down the stairs with a smile on his face. He had something in his hand that neither Seth nor Dean could identify due to how he was holding it. Seth rushed at him and he was hit with a stun gun. He went down hard on the ground.

Batista held the stun gun ready for Dean to do something and wasn't disappointed. Dean, who couldn't put any weight on his bad ankle, dove at Batista knocking the stun gun out of his hand. Batista went down hard. Dean had been so focused on Batista he hadn't seen Cesaro come down the stairs until he was grabbed from behind and thrown over his shoulder. Cesaro effortlessly carried him back up the stairs and dropped him at the feet of Hunter.

Heyman went and closed the door to the basement and locked it.

* * *

Seth flinched as he heard a scream and then the noises were muffled. He got up on shaky legs and climbed the stairs slowly. He was still feeling the effects of the stun gun. He knew who was screaming and pounded on the door. "Hunter when I get my hands on you you're dead!" He started kicking at the door and after many kicks, the door was open.

Dean was lying on the ground unconscious with Hunter looking down at him. Seth charged at him and plowed into him before anyone could stop him. He got a few kicks in before strong arms pulled him away and he was dragged kicking and screaming back to the stairs and was thrown back down them. He heard the sound of footsteps as they made their way down.

"Miss me Rollins?" Bray drawled. He started humming a song and frowned when Seth just ignored it. He was struggling to stand up again. "I guess I'll just have to break you all over again."

* * *

End notes: Sorry for the short chapter.


	9. FoundSort of

Roman paced the locker room waiting for RAW to start. He had a cellphone in his hand and was trying once more to call Seth but got no answer. He hadn't been able to reach Seth in several days and he was worried with Hunter out of prison. It wasn't like Seth to ignore his phone calls. He was used to that from Dean not Seth. 

His phone rang causing him to almost drop his phone. He looked down at the caller ID and frowned in disappointment. It wasn't Seth or Dean but at least the person could probably tell him about Dean. "Hello Punk."

"Hey," CM Punk answered. "Just wondering if you'd heard from Seth. I was talking to Christopher Daniels yesterday and he said Seth and Dean weren't at the shows this weekend. I tried Dean's phone but he didn't answer. I didn't think anything of it because he's been saying he was changing his phone number."

"What?!" Roman yelled. "You are just telling me now?"

"I'm sorry but I was in a meeting with Marvel about Thor and just heard my voice mail. I called you after not reaching Dean. I don't have Seth's number so I thought maybe you'd know."

"I've been trying to get a hold of Seth for days," Roman said with a sigh. "It's not like him to miss shows."

"Yeah I know," Punk said. "Let me know if you hear anything. I've gotta go." He said and hung up.

"Roman!" A voice yelled from the hall.

Roman hurried out of the locker room to see who was yelling what he found was Cena holding up a barely conscious Seth Rollins. He hurried over to him. "Seth what happened?"

"I…I got away from the Wyatts." He wheezed. "I don't know how…I just did when Bray went to get Stephanie…" he coughed. "Ow that hurts. Busted ribs…" Roman helped him into the locker room he was using.

"When did it happen?" John asked as he shut the locker room door. He helped Roman lay Seth down on the bench.

"We got jumped by Orton and Heyman." He sat up quickly. "Dean where's Dean?" He asked. He groaned in pain as his ribs moved back in place. "Harper's got a strong kick."

"John go get Doc," Roman said to Cena before turning his attention back to Seth. "What happened to Dean? Did the Wyatts have him too?" He remembered the note he received that said he couldn't protect them if he wasn't there. It had been a warning. He should have taken it more seriously.

"I don't know what happened to him," he said closing his eyes. "They separated us. I never saw Dean after they threw me back into the basement." He sat up. "Hunter…" his vision started to fade as pain over took him. He passed out from the pain.

Doc Sampson came into the locker room with Stephanie on his heels. She looked very surprised to see Seth in the locker room. She frowned at them.

"What is Seth Rollins doing here?" She demanded. "He doesn't work here! I should get security to throw him out…"

Roman stood up and walked up to her. "I think you know exactly why Seth's here," he said getting into her face. "Seth said Bray Wyatt was going to go get you. Now tell me where Dean is."

"Dean Ambrose?" Stephanie asked her brow furrowing. "Philadelphia or wherever the next show is. I don't really care where my former employees are!"

"Don't bullshit me Stephanie," Roman said. "I know your husband and his guys grabbed Seth and Dean and I want to know where Dean is now!"

Stephanie didn't back up she just stared Roman in the eye. "I don't know where Ambrose is and I really don't care. Now as soon as Rollins is conscious I am ordering that he leaves the building. I will send security guards to make sure that happens." She said before leaving the locker room.

Roman was seething. He knew Stephanie was lying, but where was Dean?


	10. Let's Make a Deal

Notes: I probably had way too much fun writing this chapter!

* * *

"Roman can I talk to you?" Jamie Noble said as he walked away from Roman.

Roman had just come backstage after his handicap match with Stardust and Goldust. He thought it was strange that Jamie asked him that then kept walking. He followed him to a quiet spot. "What's going on?" He asked.

"Look Doc Sampson would have told you himself but they are watching him so this is kind of a 'you didn't hear it from him' cover-up. Look it's about Seth."

Roman stiffened. "What about Seth?" Could he have been ambushed in the trainer's room? Was he gone?

"He's fine."

"Okay but what did Doc Sampson want you to tell me?"

"Roman listen to me. Seth's fine."

"What do you mean he's fine? He's got broken ribs. That's not fine."

"Roman listen to me," Jamie hissed looking around once, "there's nothing wrong with Seth. He's faking."

Roman finally understood what the Agent was saying. "Are you shitting me?" He asked. "Seth can't be faking broken ribs he could barely walk earlier! He said he got away from the Wyatts…" his voice trailed off as it suddenly became clearer. "Where is he now?" He demanded.

"Stephanie had him removed from the building while you were wrestling. I'm not sure where he is now."

"I just bet she did." He walked towards Stephanie's office and barged right in. The room was empty. Her laptop wasn't even there. He walked out and over to Dusty Rhodes, who despite Stephanie taking over, was still the RAW General Manager. He was busy looking at the rest of the card for the evening.

"Where's Stephanie McMahon?" He asked.

"She left for the evening. Said she had some family things to take care of." Dusty said looking up from his notes.

"Where's Bray Wyatt?" He asked.

"Haven't seen him or the Wyatts all night," Dusty answered. "And before you ask, Evolution isn't here either."

"Oh that's just convenient," Roman groused. "The Authority's lapdogs all suddenly disappear when Seth Rollins shows up. Yeah well if you see any of them, tell them I'm looking for them."

"Will do," Dusty said before turning away.

What now? Roman wondered. He tried Seth's cellphone but it was off and went straight to voice mail.

* * *

About 15 minutes before 11:00 Evolution's music hit. Roman was backstage in his locker room changing having given up on finding anyone. He turned to Cena who had just come into the locker room after his match with Big Show. They exchanged looks before leaving the locker room. They looked at the monitors but saw the ring was still empty.

"Where are they," Cena asked.

"Don't have a clue," Roman said. He walked through the entrance with Cena trailing him. They entered the ring.

The fans did their usual Cena sucks chants but Cena completely ignored them. He grabbed a microphone. "Seems Evolution wants to play some games. Why doesn't the actual Game come out here and face us?"

The lights went out for a moment and Roman wasn't sure who would come out Kane or the Wyatts. When the lights came back on there were two boxes on the stage. Paul Heyman stood in front of them with a big smile on his face.

"Good evening Mr. Cena, Mr. Reigns. I am here to offer you a choice on behalf of the Authority who could not be here tonight. Here you will find two boxes. In the first box, we have a title shot and in the second one there we might have something else one of you may have been looking for. It's a little game I like to call Paul Heyman's Let's Make a Deal. Choose wisely. If you choose the wrong thing, well I hate to think what could happen."

Roman was ready to run down the ramp and attack Paul Heyman, so he could get the boxes himself when a few men dressed in black with masks on their faces came out and surrounded Paul Heyman.

"Time's ticking. I don't know how long one of the contents can breathe in the box."

Roman didn't care about the title match but what he cared about was what was in the other box. He knew Cena cared about the title match so he grabbed the mic from Cena. "We take box #2." He said before Cena could object.

"Very nice choice," Heyman said with a grin. "I guess titles don't matter to you two."

He opened the box.

Roman's eyes got big as Cena jumped out of the ring upon seeing who it was. It was Nikki Bella. It wasn't Dean.

John charged down the ramp and grabbed his girlfriend and took her away from the group.

"Oops I guess you should have chosen box #1." Heyman said unveiling a blindfolded, tied up, and gagged Dean Ambrose who had Wyatt's title lying on his lap. The lights went out again.

Roman didn't even have time to react as the ring was suddenly filled with people who started to attack him. He fought them off and grabbed one of the masks off the man closest to him. When the lights came on, he found himself staring at Seth Rollins. The other figures unveiled themselves as Luke Harper, Randy Orton, Corey Graves, and Batista.

Heyman and Dean were both gone.

* * *

Notes: Sorry for any confusion. Due to the Authority angle taking another direction in this series, there was no Nikki Bella/Brie Bella feud. I'm not much of a fan of that feud or the Bellas. They are going to be at Wizard World Portland again this year. I'm so glad we got CM Punk this year. I guess it could have been worse. It could have been Miz.


	11. Game On

Notes: I'm glad I got this chapter finished before going to the movie theater to watch UFC 180. If you are watching it too tonight enjoy! 

* * *

Roman kept a firm hold of Seth as Graves, Harper, Batista, and Orton all left the ring quickly. The others didn't even give Seth a second look. He dragged Seth backstage and Seth didn't even fight him.

"Where's Dean?" He demanded giving the younger man a firm shake.

"You made your choice," Seth said trying to get loose from Roman. "Not my fault you couldn't figure out it was a trick. Hunter's the cerebral assassin. Not my fault you fell for it."

It took all of Roman's willpower not to punch Seth in the mouth. "I want you to tell me the truth."

Seth just smiled at him. "Nah I don't think you want to hear the truth Roman. They're long gone anyway and I don't know where they are." He started tugging at his hair. "I…Roman I don't know what to do." He finally said truthfully. "I was told to make you think I was hurt so you would leave the locker room to hunt down Stephanie. They brought Dean in…" he stopped as if he was fighting himself. "You are such an idiot."

Roman wasn't sure if that last line was directed to him or Seth. "Seth…"

"I thought I was fixed so Bray couldn't get to me but he did! I would have rather had been beaten by Evolution then be made a Wyatt. Now we don't know where Dean is and…and I think they did it again." Seth didn't need to say what that was. Roman charged past him looking for anyone in Evolution, Wyatts, or Authority.

* * *

Cesaro kicked the struggling Dean in the ankle and he stopped moving. "What exactly are we doing with him anyway?" He asked Orton.

"Don't know," Orton said, "Hunter's supposed to come pick him up. We just have to make sure Reigns doesn't come back here. Hopefully Seth does his job and keeps him distracted." He pushed Cesaro aside and kicked Dean in the head. The blond was out.

"I wish he'd hurry up because the Wyatts are giving me the creeps," Corey Graves said looking at Harper and Rowan that were standing not too far away. Their leader Bray was somewhere in the arena but no one seemed to know where at the moment.

"You aren't a member of either group Graves," Cesaro reminded him. "Hunter wanted to keep Roman distracted and you were a perfect choice. You can leave any time you want."

"Maybe I will," Corey said, "maybe I'll go tell Reigns where he can find Ambrose since I'm not longer needed and all."

"Do that and that'll be the last thing you ever do in this company," Hunter said walking up to them. He leaned down and looked at Dean who was unconscious and still gagged and blindfolded. "I take it Roman chose Nikki."

"Cena didn't even know his girlfriend was missing," Orton said with a smile.

"Probably was glad. Dave," he said turning to Batista who was standing beside him, "grab Dean and let's get out of here. I don't want Reigns and Rollins to find him."

"What do I tell Bray," Luke asked.

"Tell him to forget Rollins I've got something else in mind for him." He looked down at his phone and scowled. "We gotta move fast." He looked at an unused box and smiled as an idea came to him.

* * *

Roman had searched all over the arena for the Authority but couldn't find them. It appeared Stephanie wasn't in the arena but someone had to set up the whole box thing. He had a feeling the reason he didn't see Cesaro, Batista, or Rowan was because someone had to grab Dean and he was sure that Heyman couldn't move Dean much less pick him up.

"Roman," Seth called. "I see them!"

Roman hurried around the corner and found Batista and Orton struggling to move a box. Roman charged at them and knocked them both down. Seth meanwhile started to open the box.

Roman clobbered Batista and Orton until he heard Seth call his name.

Roman turned around, releasing his hold on Orton, to walk over to the box. Orton and Batista hurried away.

Roman looked in the box and didn't know whether to laugh or scream. Inside of the box was a very pissed off Corey Graves.

He turned around but knew Orton and Batista were gone.


	12. A Shield Reunited

"So what are you going to do with Ambrose?" Heyman asked. He, Cesaro, Hunter, and Ambrose were in the back of a limbo. Ambrose was lying on the floor of the limo with the other men's feet on him holding him down. "I think you've gotten everything you want out of him." He had a dark smile on his face.

"You're right. I think I'll let them have him back." He took his cellphone out and dialed a number. "I'm bringing Ambrose your way. You think you can get him into Reigns' room? Perfect." He tapped on the divider and the driver rolled it down. "Change of plans. Take me to the Holiday Inn near the airport."

"Yes sir," the chauffer said rolling up the divider.

Hunter took out Ambrose's phone and scrolled through the contracts and selected one. "Mr. Silkin? This is Hunter Helmsley. I was wondering about buying a couple of contracts. Contracts you shouldn't have." He said as his gaze fell on the man on the floor. There was a long pause. "I don't think you understand Mr. Silkin I'm ready to pay you a large amount of money." Hunter hung up the phone and threw the cellphone on the ground. It hit Dean in the foot. Hunter gave him a frustrated kick. That didn't go the way he had planned and now he was pissed.

* * *

Roman sat in his rental car staring at Seth who was looking out the window. He felt a little better after beating the crap out of Graves but that feeling was gone now as he and Seth were no closer to finding their friend. Neither of them had any idea of where to look. His phone started to ring. "Hello?"

"Roman its Naomi. You need to get back to the hotel. Dean just showed up at our hotel room."

Roman hung up without answering. He hoped his cousin's wife would forgive him for that. He checked traffic before turning around and heading to the hotel. "Dean's at the hotel." He informed Seth as he sped in the direction of the hotel.

"Is he okay," Seth asked worriedly. It was the first thing he had said since they got into the car.

"She didn't say but I would think not." He pulled up to the hotel and parked. He barely had the car in park before Seth was out of the car and running into the hotel. Roman quickly followed him. They found Jey standing in the lobby looking nervous.

"Where is he," Roman demanded.

"He's upstairs in Jimmy and Naomi's room." He said leading the way to the elevator. "He was leaning against the door when Jimmy got up to the room." He looked at Seth. "I'm sure Seth already knows."

"I know what," Seth asked in surprise. "I didn't know where he was! All I was told was to keep Roman distracted. They didn't tell me what they were going to do with Dean."

Roman glared at Seth. He had almost forgotten about that with his worry about Dean. The elevator arrived and they got in and took it to the 3rd floor. Jey stuck the key into the door of 318 and opened the door and they walked in. Naomi walked into the room with ice wrapped in a towel. She walked over to Dean who was lying down on the bed.

"You okay?" Roman asked walking up to the bed. Seth hung back.

Dean didn't answer. He hissed a little as Naomi put the ice to Dean's ankle.

"He hasn't said anything since he got here," Naomi explained. They still had him tied and blindfolded."

Roman moved the towel and saw Dean's ankle was definitely swollen. He wasn't sure if it was broken or not. When he tried to touch it Dean flinched away.

"Should I call 911?" Seth asked trying to be helpful.

"No," Dean's voice croaked. Roman saw the glass of water on the nightstand and helped Dean sit up and drink the water. "I'm okay. They..." he stopped. "My ankle's okay."

Roman was about to press him further but the look Jimmy gave him stopped him. That look told him exactly what Roman was wondering. He was going to kill Hunter.

"So now what?" Jey asked.

Roman didn't have an answer for that.


	13. Examined

Notes: Mention of rape in this fic. I will never show that graphically.

* * *

Roman took his cellphone out and searched through his contacts before texting Doc Sampson. _Hey it's Roman. You staying at the Holiday Inn?_

He got a reply almost right away. _Yeah._

Roman smiled before texting. _You think you can come up to room 318? I've got a guy with an injured ankle._

He got the response: _I'll be right up._

"Doc Sampson will be up here any second." He saw Dean was about to protest so he said, "look I know you don't want to go to the hospital so this is your only other option."

"Roman I'm fine." Dean said shakily taking the water from Roman. "They kicked me in the ankle a couple of times that's it." He saw Seth standing near the door way and went very pale. "Seth…"

Seth took a step backwards seeing the fear in Dean's eyes. He wondered what that was about but didn't want to upset Dean. "I'll just go."

"You can't go Seth. It's not safe for any of us right now. Especially with Wyatt out there somewhere." Roman said with a sigh.

"Well you guys have to go somewhere," Naomi said with a grin, "you can't stay here. This is our room."

Dean started to get up and winced as he put pressure on his bad ankle. "Fine I'll go."

"Whoa!" Roman said holding him in place. "You aren't going anywhere until Doc comes up here to check your ankle."

There was a knock on the door. Naomi went to check who it was and then let Doc Sampson into the room. He went up to Dean and smiled.

"I thought it was you that Roman was talking about." He frowned when he saw the state of the ankle. He checked it and then turned to the other occupants in the room and said, "I'd like to check Dean further alone."

Jey, Jimmy, and Naomi nodded before leaving the room. Seth followed glad to have an excuse for leaving. Roman didn't budge. "I'm not leaving."

"Roman," Dean said turning away from the doctor, "go make sure Seth doesn't bolt. This isn't Doc Ammon. I think we can trust him."

Roman seemed divided on what to do. He knew Dean had a point but he didn't want to leave either Shield members alone. "I'll be right outside," he told them before leaving.

Doc Sampson looked at Dean. "I've seen your records Dean," Doc said sitting down in the desk chair, "and have never told anyone but I want to know, did they…" he didn't want to finish it.

"Yeah."

"Dean," Doc said, "you really should go to the hospital. Your ankle's definitely broken. You might need to be tested for anything."

Dean looked away. "I don't want others to know. I didn't even want you to know and I didn't know they gave WWE access to that!"

"Vince McMahon had your hospital reports pulled after you called WWE to say you were taking time off for injuries and that's how I had access to it. You are no longer an employee of WWE so it won't go in their records. I can't say the same for ROH if they'll want the records. You aren't a wrestler there so they probably won't need them."

"Are you going to tell Roman and Seth?"

"No. I think that would be up to you if you want to tell them." He stood up and went to the door. He opened the door and Roman nearly fell in he had been leaning against it.

Dean looked away thinking perhaps the Samoan had overheard the conversation.

"Dean's agreed to go to the hospital," Doc said.

"I did not…" he stopped when Doc gave him a look. He sighed. "Fine. I think I can set my own ankle and put a cast on it the amount of times it's been broken."

Roman chuckled. "I think Seth probably should be checked out also." He reached out to help Dean up and almost carried him to the elevator. "Thanks Doc."

"No problem. I just wish someone would stop Triple H."

"I plan to."

* * *

Notes: I've been dancing around this for a while so I decided to get it out in the open in this fic.


	14. Nightmare

"Shit!" Seth swore as he looked down at his phone. He and Roman were waiting for the doctor to come out. Dean refused to let them stay with him and wait.

"What is it?" Roman asked trying to look at the phone.

"Cary Silkin just texted me that Hunter tried to buy mine and Dean's contracts. He won't let him of course," Seth explained, "Cary believes in honor even if Hunter's never heard of the word."

Roman smirked. "Ain't that the truth?"

"Roman do you think…" Seth stopped when the doctor approached them.

"You can go in and see him if you want. I've finished examining him," he said.

"How is he?" Seth asked.

"Broken ankle and I don't know about the other tests I ran yet."

Roman and Seth exchanged looks but neither one wanted to ask the question.

"Thanks doctor," Roman said as he and Seth walked into the room Dean was in. Dean was lying on the gurney with his eyes closed. He was in a hospital gown.

"They keeping you overnight?" Seth asked.

"I don't think so," Dean said opening his eyes. "My other clothes were pretty ripped up and really dirty," he reminded them. "My ankle's broken again."

"We heard," Roman said. "Four times…"

Dean's phone started to ring. He frowned as he looked at the caller ID. How did he get his cellphone number? He wondered. He wasn't even sure why Hunter had given him back his cellphone anyway. "Hello?" He answered.

"Hello Dean. This is Vince McMahon," Vince McMahon said. "I got your phone number from Joey Mercury. I heard that you were at the hospital and I just wanted you to know that the WWE will be paying for all your medical expenses and will also pay for you to fly down to Birmingham to see Dr. Andrews to have him look at your ankle."

"Thanks," Dean said he raised an eyebrow at Seth and Roman. "I appreciate that."

"Well just let me know when you can leave and I'll book you a flight," Vince said. They hung up.

"That was Vince McMahon," he told Seth and Roman. "He got my phone number from Joey and said WWE will be paying my medical expenses here and to see Dr. Andrews."

"I always knew Joey had your new cellphone number," Roman grumbled.

"I wish he hadn't had it," Dean said, "someone got a hold of it and got my phone number."

"Okay Mr. Good," a nurse said coming into the room. "Most of the tests that we performed came back negative. We will call you when we have the results of the rest of the tests. We were going to put a cast on your ankle but we were told you would be going to Alabama for possible surgery so we are going to put it in a soft cast."

Seth and Roman grimaced knowing that would be highly painful for Dean.

The nurse went ahead and started wrapping Dean's ankle and then wrote out a prescription. Roman and Seth helped him change into the tattered clothes and they left the hospital. It was well after midnight before they arrived at the hotel.

* * *

Roman talked to the front desk and managed to get a room with two beds and a rollaway. He volunteered to take the rollaway because Dean was in a lot more pain than he was letting on and Seth looked exhausted. They only had a few hours to get some sleep before they went to Florida and all three men were exhausted.

Roman was awoken by shouting. He shot straight up in the bed and saw Dean thrashing around. He got out of bed and went over to his friend. Seth was already there trying to hold Dean's foot steady so he wouldn't further damage his ankle.

"No!" Dean yelled. "Get off me! Get off!" He tried to move away from Seth but Seth didn't let go. "Seth wake up! Help me!"

Roman looked at Seth who had a shocked look on his face.

"Let me go you…" he suddenly woke up. He looked at Roman and Seth and it took him a few moments to realize where he was. He looked at Seth for a brief second and then looked away.

"Hey!" A voice called through the wall. "Keep it down in there!"

"Sorry," Roman called as Seth got up to get Dean a glass of water. Dean took it and took a drink.

"Sorry," he said, "nightmare."

"You want to talk about it?" Roman asked. Dean shook his head. He didn't expect Dean to want to talk about it. He didn't want to talk about Hawaii why would he want to talk about a nightmare. He then realized with dread probably what Dean was dreaming about.

Next time he saw Hunter he was a dead man.


	15. Nothing But Bad News

Notes: After listening to both parts of CM Punk's podcast, I don't feel bad about writing Amman the way I did in Believe in Evolution. I'm glad that Punk's in UFC now though and can't wait for his update. I watched the announcement live and was shocked but I really do think it could be good. I also corrected last chapter. It should have said Alabama and not Florida.

* * *

Roman looked over at Dean who was sound asleep in the airplane seat. His ankle was heavily bandaged and he was out due to the pain medication he was on. He was more than surprised when Vince sent the company jet to fly them saying it was cheaper than flying them commercial.

Seth sat down in the seat across from him his hands shaking. They had been shaking since they left the hotel earlier that day. "Pilot said we'll be in Birmingham in a half hour."

"You okay Seth," Roman asked for not the first time since they boarded the plane.

"I'm fine Roman," Seth said as he reached for his iPod. "They didn't touch me. Not like they did Dean anyway."

Roman looked away for a second before he turned back to Seth. "But they messed with your mind again," he reminded him. "You are acting like someone coming off a high."

Seth just shook his head. "Yeah sorry can't stop the shaking. Maybe I can take whatever Dean's on so I can sleep for a while." He sighed. "Didn't sleep last night either. I can't even remember the last time I slept."

"Me neither," Roman admitted. He looked down at his cellphone when there was a beep. He looked down and saw he had a text. It was from Stephanie McMahon. He opened it:

_You better be at the Smackdown taping tonight!_

Roman snorted. Was she serious? She had to know where he was going.

_Can't. I'm a little busy thanks to your husband. _He turned his phone off and put it away. He looked at Seth who was watching hm. "Text from Stephanie. She said I better be at Smackdown."

Seth's phone buzzed and so did Dean's. Dean didn't even stir so Roman grabbed his phone.

Seth looked at his phone. "Hunter. Who's Dean got?"

"Punk."

Seth opened his text first and read it out loud. "You better be at Smackdown. Is he serious? I don't even work there!"

Roman decided not to open Punk's text because he knew it had nothing to do with them. "Maybe he thinks you do now that you've spent time with them." There was another beep from Dean's phone. This time it was from Hunter. "Looks like he expects Dean to be there too." He said without even opening the text.

"I don't think I even want to know what he could be texting." Seth said sitting back in his seat. "This is really fucked up." He said.

Dean opened his eyes. "What's going on?" He slurred still under the influence of the pain medication.

"Looks like Stephanie and Hunter expect all three of us to be at Smackdown tonight." Roman said.

"Oh." Dean said before closing his eyes. His eyes snapped open again. "Wait I don't work there."

"I do but I'm sure not going." Roman said. "I'm not leaving you guys in Birmingham." He changed the subject before either Seth or Dean could oppose. "You got a text from Punk."

"Read it to me," Dean said his eyes already drifting closed.

"Hunter's got your contracts."

Dean sat up quickly and winced as he set his foot down. He started seeing stars dancing in his eyes. "Gimme my phone." He said taking it from Roman. He dialed Punk's phone number. "What do you mean he's got our contracts?" He demanded as soon as Punk said hello.

"It's all over the internet that Hunter found some kind of loophole and got your contracts from Ring of Honor. Some loophole that even my lawyer didn't understand. I had him look to make sure WWE couldn't stop me from signing with UFC if I decide to. So you guys are officially back with WWE."

"Damn it." Dean swore as he rubbed his broken ankle which was starting to throb. He handed the phone to Seth.

Seth listened to Punk and then hung up.

Roman was already on the phone with Hunter. He put it on speakerphone.

"Thought that'd get all of your attention," Hunter said. All three of them could almost hear the smirk on his face. "I realize you won't be at Smackdown but I expect all three of you on RAW Monday for an announcement that concerns all of you." He hung up.

The three members of the Shield looked at each other. Looks like they were back together again in WWE whether Dean liked it or not.


End file.
